Work practices

During our career’s lifetime how often do we perform tasks that we learned so long ago that we forget that it might have taken us a long time to learn it. Now perhaps many years later, we do it in our sleep and forget many of the nuances of performing that task.
Some of the things that we may have learned might have been physical manipulation with our hands or our tools. Maybe it was how to hold your hands in a certain position. Maybe it’s, how to grasp a specific tool. Steps to best perform a task, safely and accurately. Maybe we forget much of the theory behind the task. Theory, that in the beginning we tortured or minds as to why we were having such difficulties. Things that in the beginning appeared almost impossible. Now that we know why, it seems second nature. When it does not work for us today, we instinctively shift the work, our grasp or simply adjust the tool or the method to compensate for the problem we are experiencing.
When we observe others, perhaps younger than ourselves, we forget that we too once upon a time had to be shown. Those that need help equally do not have to be younger for many have learned to do things on the go and perhaps somewhat adequately to get them by. We can find those as well who perform tasks with adroitness but do not understand why it works. They just know how to do it.
However with all that said the learning curve could be substantially reduced, if one understands the theory behind the task. One such task that I have encountered over the years is soldering. Therefore with hopes that those that wish a brief description of some of the theory behind soldering will Keep it Together-2 or download my article “Soldering” under my technical Category.

Lateral thinking

Well with apologizes I must say that it has been sometime since I wrote anything or should I say posted anything. It’s not that I have not been thinking but more that I felt that much of it either did not apply to a blog per say. But then what does apply to a blog? Well I suppose Anything really. I am starting to start as well that the more I write the more critical I become and the more I internally try to justify what I might say. Dare I think that these thoughts are one of a writer?….HA HA that is certainly not a term that I would ever have applied to myself. However my next question would be but why not? By definition anyone that puts words to paper or in these days to screen can by definition call himself or herself a writer.
The point I suppose that stops people from applying the term to themselves might be, “I am not a GOOD writer?”…..Many and certainly, published writers that I have followed would say that the question is unimportant. The important point is that you DO write, and with that effort you may become better than you were yesterday and certainly superior today if you do write.
Over the years I have found that the more I put pen to paper to itemize steps required to perform given tasks the easier it becomes and the more I understand things myself. I have always enjoyed a good philosophical discussions. I believe that I equally enjoy hearing what other people think although I’m sure many might argue that point….sad and disappointing if true.
Recently I got involved in one of those discussion at work which even though I thought I had the question answered long ago, caused me to re-assess my viewpoint. My analysis of that dialog can be found in my Articles above. Sound

Prejudices

Ok not a subject matter I ever care to breach because you can’t win. If you happen to disagree with a published newspaper article, on prejudice then you will likely be branded prejudiced yourself. But if you remain silent then I think prejudice wins. It is a two way street. Recently I read an article in a local community week-end paper where the reporter discussed the matter with a local pastor. He asked her if things had changed over the years and of course she indicated that very little had. Some small inroads had been achieved but no major community changes had been experienced. The article went on about some of the local injustices which had occurred in the past and quite frankly it’s all long before my time here in Nova Scotia.
I have travelled in many countries over the years and worked side by side with MANY nationalities, religions, and people of color, and with each one I was offered the same common respect as I offered them. However equally in every instant they demanded nothing from me other than respect. Working and helping peoples as equals I have no problems with.
However most articles I read, or road signs I see, or decreed holiday I hear of, are I believe for the most part a one sided cry.
They make me feel as if they are prejudiced against me. I of course am Caucasian, (oh God there it is, it’s out) but I am not prejudiced against anyone no matter how much you try and make me feel that I am. I don’t however agree with all of the propaganda. I have no special centers, or declared United Nations day, I get no special treatment from any government agency and certainly get nothing but bad publicity as an oppressor in the press.
However for me there is one glimmer of light in all of this and that is when I think back a few years when by chance I happen to channel surf and fell on a reception which Bill Cosby was speaking. I always liked Bill so I decided to listen in a little longer. The event was the 50th Anniversary commemoration of the Brown vs Topeka Board of Education Supreme Court Decision (1) (2)
Dr. Bill Cosby was one of the guest speakers. Interestingly he was subsequently severely chastised for what he said immediately following the event by some of the black communities. It became known as Bill Cosby’s Pound Cake Speech. Today if you Google the event you will find many discussions regarding what he said with most agreeing with the comments, well for the most parts. I certainly do not wish to analyze Mr. Cosby’s speech here but I do find very few references to it in public conversations or newspaper articles, or when prejudices are being declared.
For many years I have said that prejudice in the media will ALWAYS be there as long as people are treated differently. Until society starts to accept that you get (everyone) what you work for NOT for what you are given whether directly or as preferential treatment. You can never satisfy both sides of the equation’s equal sign. In mathematics you cannot transpose part of the expression from one side of the equal sign to the other, without doing the same to both sides. Prejudice is the same or at least similar. What one group receives the others also must receive. However in life there are non mathematical considerations. That consideration is one of perception. If one side perceives that someone is getting the same as they are but without the same effort put forward, then the equation will never balance.
I can stand up for social prejudice as I encounter it. I can speak up where someone might be being bullied or talked down too because of their linguistic accent or derogatory remarks because of their looks, or religious belief, but when it comes to cultural prejudice I’m afraid no matter what I say or do unless I am being subservient it will not appease them. That prejudice is cultural baggage. That prejudice, is internal to that part of the culture and themselves, and it’s a one way view. “If you do not see life or things my way it’s because you are being prejudiced against me”. It seems to me that no matter what, “I”… as a Caucasian am being blamed for things I have not done just because of MY color. In most cases the accusations by the people crying out the injustices have not been submitted to it themselves. My suitcase will never be big enough to store all that baggage.
Groups and cultures can petition any government for whatever compensation they desire but no government edict can magically evaporate prejudices. In fact the more it is catered to, the more likely the gap will widen.
In the end we must all work for what we want and only then can we truly OWN what we receive.
It is harder to crack a prejudice than an atom.
ALBERT EINSTEIN
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education
(2) http://www.infoplease.com/us/supreme-court/cases/ar04.html

Governments and Social Nets

Recently in Canada our governing party has instituted changes to the unemployment insurance. Changes that make it more difficult for people to “stay” on it and consequently must look harder for alternate means to provide for themselves. Unemployment insurance was instituted as a short term measure to help people bridge the gap between being laid off for one reason or another and finding new employment.
As many things it has been corrupted both by individual claims, employer mis-direction, and raining government wishing to keep the popular vote. People have created this belief that because they pay into it while working that they are entitled to ALL of it back when their situation changes. They take a seasonal lay-off or economic downturn as a time to take it easy and coast till the next season or wait out the economy. They believe that company lay-off are mostly temporary and all that one has to do is survive till they start hiring again. They never take the road that I best find new employment soon or I do not eat. You overhear them talking about it all the time in public places…. “Yea..got laid off again but I’m not too worried for now,… I have 18months or 12months (or whatever length) before my UI runs out…..”
The government is really no better, for they play into many businesse’s hand and as they do not want to come across as the bad guy and have changed in the past the rules to make it easier to stay on government assistance. Never mind that some of the businesses have been mismanaged and that is the reason for closures not economic downturns. Of course it’ easier to deflect that fact if one blames the economy rather than face the music of mismanagement.
Of course the government, for their part often supply additional funds to try and sustain the business and therefore the jobs that they provide, and the business elite know this and play to it, well who wouldn’t? If the business is not a viable business no amount of government money can create the need that the business is catering to. This fact matters none since the government appears to be trying to assist its people, makes them look good, and the board of directors get additional funds which in most cases they never have to pay back so they can continue their bonuses while the business continues to be driven into the ground. Even when government attaches a repayment clause those are most often tied to the “business” entity NOT the CEO or company directors. So after the business is once again driven into the ground the board of directors simply file for bankruptcy, and guess what our government get’s to write that off as “bad” debt.
Of course the opposition of course get their kick at the cat by blaming the present raining party for letting the business go down the tubes. Never mind that often the opposition set up the original subsidies. I only hope that today’s social networking will help to get people talking amongst themselves and demand more from their government. Make them answerable for their behaviors and decisions, including the opposition. If they started the mess don’t sugar coat it and try to blame all of it on the present ruling party. Take their pill and admit that “they” made a bad decision in the past when they were in power and today this is the mess that we must deal with.
Download my latest article https://dl.dropbox.com/u/19327951/NoGovernmentEmployment.pdf and maybe you might find something to agree with and perhaps talk to your member of parliament. Hold him or her accountable, regardless to which party affiliation he or she may be with. All members have a job to do and it’s not to play “the Blame Game”

Blogging a year later

Well it’s been near enough a year since I first started to blog in earnest. How has that worked for me? I must say I am quite satisfied of my achievements as a first go around. As in all things there is much more to learn and to paraphrase motivational speakers Mr. Don Tappscott and Mr. Anthony Williams in their book Wikinomics,http://www.wikinomics.com/blog/ the world is changing and technology has linked humanity in a way as never before in human history. One needs to learn it and adapt to it or face the prospect of personal irrelevance.
It is true that the web with all of its social networking, sites blogging, and access to information that we are more socially different today then our parents ever thought possible. Our work environments have forever changed and one’s ability to quickly access and process information will make anyone a force to be reckoned with. No longer are tasks so much assigned as they are taken up by individuals. Where once major corporations held fast to proprietary technology and data that today is seeing individuals surpass the obstacles with open collaboration.
People are inextricably linked today and the trend can only go to more rather than less. For sure in my own mind I believe that people perhaps share more than they should in the social media. Perhaps that is the transitional development from an older generation to the transitional generation to the up and coming one. One group does not fully understand what happens when the send button is depressed or what does posting something really mean, or what does it mean to navigate a secure site. The other group’s familiarity with each little functional icon which has a life of its own and they think nothing of broadcasting their location on their phone so their friends can know that they are nearby and can meet for coffee. They give little thought to the thief that equally can see that they are no longer at home or in the vicinity. Or equally believe that their transactions online are as private or free of prying eyes and ears as a transaction done as a sole client at the store counter.
The electronic footprint that each of us leave as we navigate the web for whatever reason and for as benign a reason as we might think remains to be something that we all will need to contend with in time to come. What impact all of this technology will eventually have remains to be discovered and I think thankfully our governments, or at least not yet, will they be the architects to determine how it will all be used. As proof I offer the various sites that one can today navigate which will indicate the residence of convicted criminals or pedophiles. Certainly this is not something that any government social worker would openly wish to advertise in their never ending belief that they can be re-habilitated. Maybe they can, but I would wager it is information that every mother with small children for sure is glad to know. No longer can the slick talker in a fancy suit sell his snake oil to the informed consumer who can today with the help of the consumer advocate groups or individual blogger sites or chat lines, openly advertise a warning of their own experience. Will there be abuses of the system is without question and the old adage of buyer beware remains one of our best defenses. Today we can access more data to make up our own minds and perhaps sometime too much information can be just as disastrous.
I started my blog which naturally I wish had more followers, but I believe that it will come with time and as I learn to better advertise myself. It has allowed me to share with some at least thoughts and opinions and in some ways help me to reflect why people sometimes behave the way that they do. It has also caused to me to be more aware of my surroundings and to research and or read or listen more deeply to politicians, predominate social leaders or to be saddened by the banality of where some of our entertainment media has gone.
As a follow up to my first published article Investment, I wrote the matting update Investment a year later what dividends?, as a reflection one year later. Both can be downloaded by following the link or by choosing either one in my “Article” heading at the top of this blog.

eReaders

These days many people have adopted the eReaders instead of the standard printed book. I must admit I pondered on the prospect for quite some time before I too crossed over. Like many the feel of a book in your hands gave me a sense of accomplishment. When at school I was far from being an avid reader. In fact I still remember to this day one of my teachers Mr. Albert Legault trying everyday to find something that would stimulate my reading habits. Alas even after 3 years of contact he only managed to get me to read perhaps half a dozen published works.
Then many years later someone suggested a fantasy book. Interestingly that same book is now a motion picture. After giving it a try most likely out of boredom I was hooked and embarked on a reading appreciation extravaganza which carries on today. Not that I read dozens of books per week but I have since that day devoured many series. Series seem to capture my interest more than any single volume. No longer do I shy away from books which in the past I would only have considered as a door stop. What was that book that gave me a kick start? The Hobbit an Unexpected Journey written by JR Tolkien. Once I completed that volume I became crazed and hunted every book that JR wrote. Then having somewhat exhausted that avenue I hunted for other fantasy writings. I found that the world was rich with the imaginary musing of countless of authors.
Needless to say I have found that book stories allow me to escape into a world that is only limited by one’s imagination. However some of these books over the years are quite large and heavy. Working in an environment where travelling with bulky books can be somewhat trying not to mention inconvenient. When you try to stuff your book alongside laptop, cables, memory drives and an ever growing cornucopia of technological paraphernalia, finding a better medium was needed.
The last huge book series which I am presently completing drove me over the edge and finally convinced that I had to give the eReader a go. The first few trials were not total disappointments but I certainly did not get hooked to the technology. The sense of accomplishment I would get whenever I managed to complete one of the voluminous tomes would not be shaken easily. However after a short trial period I found that it was much easier to read at night while sharing a room with others. As I am also older being able to enlarge the text print size equally gave me some advantages not seen before. The ability to stuff the tablet in a much smaller crevice also indicated that more advantages could be found. Caring both reading medium leads me to this present post. My series The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan is as stated before a rather large book. Having limited space I could only stuff the book in the front pocket while storing my tablet further in the center of my bag. However the closing of my bag zippers cause undue stress on the tablet corners. Needless to say within a short time I cracked the glass. I had after much searching located a leather bound tablet cover, which I had suspected adequate to protect my investment. Obviously it was not enough.
By now being somewhat comfortable with the eReader I purchased a second unit. Adding some cardboard to try and re-enforce the cover I set myself to travel again. Sadly as I had yet to complete reading my story and having no increase of space within my briefcase, I cracked the second unit. Thankfully the crack was much smaller and allowed me to continue to use it even if I had to learn where the more troublesome points were, being that the glass is a touch screen.
Now I was on a mission. A much more robust tablet carrier had to be located. I searched the internet and walked the malls but the suit of armor that I was hunting for eluded capture. After a couple of weeks I concluded that this was now a job for captain manufacture. While shopping with my wife and trying to explain what was needed a flash of insight hit me. The fact that I was standing within an arm’s length of shelves and shelves of used books probably might have been instrumental. My brain ran away with itself flipping and turning 3D images in my head it was like my neurons were running on overdrive. The next day I came back armed with my tablet and matched it for size against several hardcover books. I purchased a couple and being as cheap as I am even swapped one of them out for a cheaper unit of the same size. After all, I didn’t really care what the titles were since I was not about to read any of them.
That evening at home I set myself to work. Knowing that I would write instructions on how to build one I took numerous pictures. In the coming days I put the steps to paper and now you too can embark on building a strong box to hold that precious little electronic marvel. Follow the link and happy artistic build. It’s quite easy. In my case I actually had several people ask me what was the book I was reading about? With a huge smile I said “it’s not a book but an encyclopedia…..matter of fact it can even be triggered to be just like Harry Potter’s ….with moving pictures and all”……ha ha
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/19327951/eReaderCase-Pamphlet.pdf

Misery or Bliss What Do You Emanate?

Every day we interact with people, well most of us anyway. In those interaction many emotions and opinions can be formed, and some without ever saying a word. A survey in Sept/2012 indicates that 60% of HR managers have formed an opinion on you positive or negative within the first 10 minutes and 18% of them indicated they have made an opinion in 5 minutes or less of meeting you.(1)
However first opinion is not only critical on job searches but what about new employees to your company? Their first opinion of YOU is just as critical to your well being as well as their success within the business.
Are you going to be one of the go to people when they need to understand something or are they going to determine that your just a mean old grouch who sits in that cubicle or office. That zone that needs to be avoided like the plague….However first opinions need not be a death sentence. Many first opinions have been proven wrong, certainly in my lifetime after working with individuals for a bit I have found them to be quite friendly and entertaining. See my most recent article……https://dl.dropbox.com/u/19327951/MiseryBlissWhatDoYouEmanate.pdf

(1) http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/survey-finds-most-employers-form-opinions-of-job-interviewees-within-10-minutes-170157216.html